A 310-mile wide, 620-mile long dust storm swept over Sydney early yesterday morning along with gale-force winds and hailstorms. The eerie red powder virtually shut down ground and air transportation and kept most people indoors.

The worst dust storm in Sydney in 70 years, scientists suggest that, as Australia's deserts expand and extreme weather becomes more common as a result of global warming, the odds of such an event reoccurring more frequently have increased. Lookout for the video in the gallery below and tell us this isn't reminiscent of the ruined city scene in "Mad Max: Beyond The Thunderdome."